IU South Bend’s Master of Arts in English equips students with skills that are highly valued by employers and provide strong intellectual enrichment, including writing and analytical skills. It also provides specialized knowledge in areas such as textual analysis, research, pedagogy, and editing. Our graduates are employed as English teachers in public and private schools and colleges, as researchers and writers in service and information industries, as journalists, as advertising executives and public relations managers, and in other professions that require well-honed writing, research, and analytic skills.
Teaching at the college level is one of many career paths open to those who hold a master’s degree in English. According to a recent Modern Language Association (MLA) report, “Rethinking the Master’s Degree in English for a New Century,” nearly half of those who teach English at the college level have a master's degree, not a Ph.D. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, postsecondary teaching opportunities are expected to grow by 15 percent over the next decade, which is significantly faster than the growth anticipated for most occupations.
The master’s degree is also often a springboard to doctoral studies, which open up additional opportunities in education. Recent graduates of our program have attended Ph.D. programs at Purdue University, North Carolina State University, Kent State University, and Bowling Green State University.